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Black Canyon Red Rock Canyon Wilderness permit

Red Rock Canyon Gear Checklist

Red Rock Canyon is the mild way into the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, a 3.5-mile walk down a creek bed to the river, but the pack list is shaped by a few hard facts. The route is unmarked, the lower third is thick with shoulder-high poison ivy, trail water is off limits, open fires are banned, and there is no phone signal. People who have gone in carry a poison-ivy wash, long sleeves, a filter, shoes for wading and a bag to pack out their waste, and they cut everything else.

What shapes your gear on Red Rock Canyon

Route
The route runs 3.5 miles one way and drops 1,300 feet to the Gunnison River. The first mile is an old double-track road, then the route follows a shallow creek with many crossings. It is not marked or maintained.

From Recreation.gov (National Park Service)

Pace
Distance and drop are modest, yet hikers describe it as slow going. One angler plans at least two hours in and suggests tripling the time it took to descend as the estimate for the climb out.

From Backpacker and Switchfisher

Water on the trail
The park figures a liter per person for every hour on foot, or you can treat water from the Gunnison itself. It warns against drinking from the creek you walk beside.

From Recreation.gov (National Park Service)

River
The Gunnison is cold, swift and dangerous, and the park says not to wade or swim in it. Flooding is possible from mid-May to mid-July, and the park points hikers to USGS flow data before they leave.

From Recreation.gov (National Park Service)

Stay length and camps
A permit covers at most two nights. Camp only in established sites, use the smallest site that fits your group, and clear it by 11 am on your hike-out day. Campsites show up on both banks as you reach the river.

From Recreation.gov (National Park Service)

Help
There is no cell service in the area, and the park tells hikers to be ready to rescue themselves. Poison ivy, bears and rodents are named hazards.

From Recreation.gov (National Park Service)

What the agency requires on Red Rock Canyon

What hikers carry on Red Rock Canyon

  • A poison ivy wash

    The park says it grows thickest on the bottom third of the walk and all along the river, and can reach shoulder height. A 2025 angler brought a cleaning soap made for it and scrubbed skin and clothes daily. A trip report from the Red Rock route notes the plant snapping at the legs, and an older angler used a barrier lotion.

    From Recreation.gov (National Park Service), Gink and Gasoline, Backpacker and Switchfisher

  • Long pants and long sleeves

    Covering skin is the first defense against the ivy and the scrub oak that forced one party to duck along the descent. One account says covered skin is a start but not enough on its own.

    From Backpacker and Gink and Gasoline

  • Hiking boots in, plus a second pair to wade and to wear in camp

    Anglers walk down in boots, switch to sneakers or wading boots at the river and keep a dry pair of socks for the walk out. One adds that you should clip wet footwear to the pack and wear something with tread and ankle support on the trail.

    From Switchfisher and Gink and Gasoline

  • A filter and more water than you expect to drink

    Trail water is off limits, so hikers fill at the river and carry enough for the hot walk out. A filter bottle plus a spare, or a pump and a big jug, shows up on 2025 and earlier packing notes. The black rock heats the canyon like a stove.

    From Recreation.gov (National Park Service), Gink and Gasoline and Switchfisher

  • Sun protection, including a neck buff

    Hikers describe a dry, sun-baked canyon where dehydration comes easily. Sunscreen and a buff were called musts in the 2025 account.

    From Gink and Gasoline

  • A light sleep kit with a warm hat

    One angler packed a thick inflatable pad, a light down bag, a headlamp and a stocking hat to sleep in. He suggests an ultralight tent or sleeping without a tent, since the climb makes extra weight painful.

    From Gink and Gasoline

  • A GPS track or careful route notes

    There is no signal and no marked trail. The park says to watch your surroundings on the way down so the way up is easier, and an angler adds that a GPS helps you find the route back. A 2008 party followed a faint, rarely used path marked with cairns.

    From Recreation.gov (National Park Service), Switchfisher and Backpacker

  • A spare rod and barbless hooks for fishing

    Anglers say to bring a spare rod and reel, because a broken one ruins the trip, and big flies to get deep. The park suggests barbless hooks, a wet knotless net and a hook remover for the rainbows you have to release.

    From Switchfisher and National Park Service

4 people can go on one permit. Split this list between them so nobody carries two stoves.

Plan a trip here

What hikers regret or leave behind on Red Rock Canyon

  • Waders

    A 2025 angler tells you to leave them at home, because the canyon is hot and the weight is not worth it.

    From Gink and Gasoline

  • Anything that is not essential

    Both an older and a recent writer stress going light. One says to make a list and check it three times, and the other says to try cold food before carrying a stove and fuel, though open fires are banned and a stove is the legal way to cook.

    From Switchfisher, Gink and Gasoline and Recreation.gov (National Park Service)

  • Planning only for a low river

    A writer who reached the river in a high-runoff year in late May found it too wild to fish or cross. The ranger had said not to cross above roughly 500 cubic feet per second, and it was far past that.

    From Backpacker

  • Leaving a bag or boots open on the ground

    The 2025 account says pygmy rattlesnakes and bark scorpions like a sleeping bag or a pair of boots, so keep the bag rolled up and shake out footwear. An older angler wrote that cold keeps poisonous snakes out of the canyon, so the sources disagree on how many to expect.

    From Gink and Gasoline and Switchfisher

Gear questions for Red Rock Canyon

How much water should I bring to Red Rock Canyon?

The park figures a liter per person for every hour on foot, or you can treat water from the Gunnison. Do not drink from the creek beside the trail. Hikers who have gone add a filter and extra capacity for the hot climb out.

From Recreation.gov (National Park Service) and Gink and Gasoline

Do I need a stove for Red Rock Canyon?

If you want hot food, yes. Open fires are prohibited. Some hikers go cold to save weight, which is a choice rather than a rule.

From Recreation.gov (National Park Service) and Gink and Gasoline

What should I wear for poison ivy in Red Rock Canyon?

Long pants and long sleeves, plus a poison ivy cleanser to wash skin and clothes. The park says it is thickest on the bottom third of the walk and along the river, and can reach shoulder height.

From Recreation.gov (National Park Service), Gink and Gasoline and Backpacker

Can I fish in Red Rock Canyon, and what do I need?

Yes, with a Colorado fishing license and artificial flies or lures only. All rainbow trout must be released. Anglers carry a spare rod, big flies to fish deep, and a second pair of shoes for wading.

From National Park Service, Recreation.gov (National Park Service) and Switchfisher

Sources

  1. Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP Red Rock Canyon Wilderness Permits · Recreation.gov (National Park Service) · Agency
  2. Fishing, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park · National Park Service · Agency
  3. Footprints Needed: Colorado's Undiscovered Black Canyon · Backpacker · Trip report
  4. Black Canyon of the Gunnison River Trout Fishing · Switchfisher, Steve Moore · Trip report
  5. Be Prepared for Colorado's Black Canyon · Gink and Gasoline, Louis Cahill · Blog